User Interface Design Book for Electronic Devices?

ikeleib asks: "I'm in the process of developing a HVAC control system. The problem with most programmable thermostats and just about every other electronic devices is that they are hard to use. I've been trying to find a book on user interface design for electronic devices. All the books I've seen on interface design seem to focus on GUI's. Does anyone know of good books (or websites) on interface design for electronics? I'm talking about buttons and tiny screens, not web pages and dialog boxes. I've only been able to find one book (for $104)."

Comments

Try this

[HybridTheory]

Try The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman.
I read it years ago and found it fascinating. Even though I wans't designing anything.
At Amazon

Re:Try this

[UnknownSoldier]

Yeas, TDoET / POET is a *great* read.

You may find Chapter 1 of "Designing Object-Oriented C++ Applications using The Booch Method", by Robert C. Martin, to be usefull as well. (The rest of the book is great, but focuses more on the interfaces and implementation of the design.)

Also POET

[MarkusQ]

By the same author, "The psychology of everyday things", known in the trade as "POET".

-- MarkusQ

Re:Also POET

[MarkusQ]

These two are actually the same book. Are you certain? I only own POET, but I notice (from the provided Amazon links) that they have different ISBN numbers (0465067107 vs. 0465067093). Although they are both 272 pages long. Repackaging?

-- MarkusQ

Some basic tips for you

[WIAKywbfatw]

Remember, the objective is to design something that even an idiot could use correctly without having to swallow a manual. So, with that in mind, here's some (basic) advice.

1. Write down every feature that your device has and come up with simple, non-technical names for them (start is so much better than commence, reset is better than initialise, etc - you get the idea). Categorise them as best as possible. This will help you develop an intuitive menu system.

2. Before you commit your system to hardware, get some user feedback. If necessary, rope friends and family in to help you with this. Ask them what features they think are most important, which they think they would use the most, which they think should be grouped together, etc. Make a note of everything they say (a tape recorder might be a good idea) as even the smallest comment can be of immense help. Above all, be sure to use this feedback in designing your interface - you're far too attached to your design to be objective about what works and what doesn't work.

3. Build a prototype. Test it on your intended users. Ask for more feedback, on both the hardware and the software, and use what works. If necessary, lather, rinse, repeat as many times as you feel is productive.

4. Get short-, medium- and long-term user feedback once the device is in the field. Pay careful attention to what features people don't use - it could be because the feature is useless, or poorly understood, or just plain overlooked. Remember, the more your users get out of your device the more they'll appreciate it (and, similarly, the more successful you've been at designing a simple to use user interface).

5. If all else fails, Keep it simple stupid!

Good luck.

IBM's thoughts...

[cei]

IBM has some nice stuff online. I agree with a lot of it. In your case, since you're designing a thermostat, and most people know how to use a traditional thermostat already, you should make your interface as close as possible to that which they already know. They're going into your device with a notion of what to expect. Don't deviate from those expectations, and you should be OK.